The pursuit of an A
by xMako-Eyesx
Summary: Kagome is given a school assignment that she does not look forward to completing. At least it leads her somewhere interesting! Sess/Kag.
1. The Assignment

Kagome stared at her professor as he assigned the class the task of defining different kinds of arguments and offences present in dialogue. She had to go through their textbook and write out the definitions, which would be simply enough, and then provide examples. Kagome was worried about the examples. The professor dismissed the class, shouting over the shuffling of papers and bags that it would be due in one week. Kagome frowned as she left the classroom.

Her worry did not leave her as she travelled back through the well later that afternoon. Armed with her pen and notebook, she was determined to make her friends help her with her assignment. She figured that she may as well have some fun coming up with examples. She smiled to herself as the she floated through the portal to the feudal ear. Maybe this assignment wouldn't be so bad, Kagome thought to herself.


	2. Personal Quarrel

1.) Personal quarrel: characterized by aggressive personal attack, heightened appeal to emotions, and a desire to win the argument (3).

Kagome's eyes were fixed on yet another battle between Inuyasha and his half brother, Sesshomaru. She thought is was ridiculous that Inuyasha insisted on starting a battle with him, since they had only crossed paths by chance. Inuyasha claimed that it was not by chance and that Sesshomaru had deliberately chosen to head in their direction. Kagome heaved a great sigh as she continued to watch the two brothers.

"Sesshomaru! You should've stayed away from us!" Inuyasha shouted. Kagome flinched at the unnecessary rage in his tone.

"It is you, half-breed, that was in our way," Sesshomaru replied in an even, smooth tone. Kagome bit her bottom lip as his words travelled to her ears and seemed to wrap around her body. Her reaction did not go unnoticed by Sesshomaru, who, when Inuyasha was not looking, shot his eyes in her direction for a brief moment.

"Feh! We were goin' for a jewel shard. Straight course" Inuyasha snapped and swiped his claws at his brother before swinging his sword down to strike him. Sesshomaru manoeuvred around the blade with ease and jumped backwards.

"Perhaps," Was all Sesshomaru managed to say before Inuyasha interrupted him.

"I felt you change your course, you bastard." Inuyasha shouted. Kagome rolled her eyes. _Really?! Is this really important enough to fight over?_ her mind shouted. She watched Sesshomaru's lips curl up slightly as he shifted his eyes towards her once again.

"My choices are none of your concern," He retorted.

"So you admit it! You came to us, you bastard. You're so full of lies, Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha grinned in victory. Kagome's mind had wondered away from the battle and towards her assignment. She knew that this conversation fit the criteria of personal quarrel and she noted that Inuyasha had just added a_rgumentum ad hominem_ to her new-found example; as he committed this when he criticized the argument by attacking the arguer, Sesshomaru, personally instead of considering the argument on its real merits. Inuyasha had focused on Sesshomaru's personal attribute, being a liar, rather than his argument that his business was his own.

"You can make any inference you like. It is of no concern" Sesshomaru seem very detached from their argument while Inuyasha was determined to win. Kagome failed to see why it was so important to Inuyasha. However, she admitted that she understood very little of the rivalry between the brothers, from either side.

She decided that she had enough material for her example and she wanted to stop wasting time.

"Inuyasha, the jewel shard is moving farther and farther away from us!" Kagome lied, in hopes that it would change his focus. Luckily, it did. Inuyasha pushed Sesshomaru back and rejoined the his group. Kagome locked eyes with Sesshomaru. She was mentally telling him to back off... as if he would actually listen to her.

"We'll settle this another time, Sesshomaru" Inuyasha spat.

"As always, little brother, you're running away" Sesshomaru taunted. Kagome bit her bottom lip, nervous that his words would provoke Inuyasha enough to resume their battle. Inuyasha scoffed and readied his sword. Kagame sighed and uttered 'sit.'

"Lets go Inuyasha!" She commanded when his glaring yellow eyes met hers. The group looked over to where Sesshomaru had been standing. He was gone. Kagome swallowed a lump in her throat as she turned to leave with the rest of her friends. Example one complete.


	3. Debate

2.) Debate (_forensic_). The forensic debate is more regulated than the quarrel. In a debate there are judges or referees who determine, perhaps by voting, which side has the better argument (4).

Kagome's next example came to her the next morning when Inuyasha and Shippo were fighting before breakfast. Sango and Miroku had stepped in to protect Shippo, who was growing visibly upset.

"You stupid mutt!" Inuyasha snapped, "give me the last bowl of ramen!"

"It's mine!" Shippo sniffed as he attempted to pull the sealed container away from the larger male.

"Inuyasha, Shippo! That's enough," Sango's firm voice made the two boys stop and look at her. Miroku came to stand beside her and nodded silently in agreement.

"What's going on here?" Miroku asked.

"He's taking the last bowl of Kagome's ramen!" Shippo cried.

"No, Shippo is the one taking it." Inuyasha snorted. Kagome wrote down "confrontation stage" next to their words, as they had stated the issue.

"Fine, you can both make a case for yourselves. Sango and I will decide who gets it," Miroku shrugged and smiled.

"No swearing," Sango added, looking right at Inuyasha, Kagome smirked. She wrote down Sango's words and categorized them as "locution rules," as they stated the kinds of speech that were allowed in their debate.

"I'll start. I deserve the ramen because I'm a growing boy!" Shippo grinned.

"No you aren't! And I need it to recover from yesterday's battle!" Inuyasha retorted. Miroku and Sango slowly nodded as if they were considering both of the boy's arguments seriously.

"You got the last one last week" Shippo pouted.

"You took too long walking up that mountain with Kagome last week, I got to it first since I carried her bag" Inuyasha smirked and added, "Plus, you're too ugly to deserve it." Sango shook her finger at Inuyasha and said "That's irrelevant Try again." Kagome wrote down Inuyasha's comment as not following the "rules of relevance" in a debate, as his comment about Shippo's appearance was off topic.

"Fine. I need it because..." Inuyasha waved his hand as he tired to come up with a reason, "I have a larger stomach than you."

"I have a fast metabolism!" Shippo countered. Kagome giggled slightly, she knew Shippo picked up little facts from her when she talked about school She could see by the dumb look on Inuyasha's face that he did not.

"Well, I think we've heard enough. Do you both agree?" Miroku asked them and watched as they nodded their heads. Kagome wrote "conclusion" next to this statement. Miroku and Sango whispered amongst themselves. Kagome rose from her place and walked over to them. When they had reached a decision they turned back to the two.

"We decided that Shippo should get the last ramen," Sango announced and Inuyasha's mouth dropped open. He growled as he watched Shippo take the ramen and scurry off with Sango and Miroku. Kagome walked up beside him and put her hand on his shoulder. Inuyasha turned to face her with questioning eyes. Kagome pulled another ramen bowl out from behind her back and placed it in his hands. She held a finger up to her lips, signalling him to keep it quiet, and winked at him. Inuyasha had a huge grin on his face and he jumped up into his favourite tree with his bowl. Kagome smiled to herself and tucked away her home work


	4. Persuasion Dialogue

3.) Persuasion dialogue. In this type is dialogue, there are two participants, each of whom has a thesis (conclusion) to prove (5).

Kagome sat under a tree, far from the others, working on another example for her assignment. She thought back to an incident between her and Sesshomaru. After thinking deeply about their conversation she decided it did indeed fit the criteria of persuasion dialogue. She wrote down what transpired between them, a slight blush creeping onto her cheeks as she did so.

Kagome had just finished bathing in a hot spring a ways from their current camp. She was dressed and walking back towards the others, drying the tips of her hair with her towel. She turned her head towards Sesshomaru's strong aura. He had just arrived. Kagome gave the tips of her hair one last squeeze before putting away her towel. She did not say anything to him, instead she raised her eye brow, posing the unspoken question – _What?_.

"Miko," He said, stepping towards her, "I have a question."

"I'll do my best to answer it" Kagome said, weary of his close proximity but not afraid. Sesshomaru's eyes had been paying her much attention during their encounters but this was the first time she had spoke to him.

"Where do you come from?" He asked her. Kagome was surprised by his question.

"I come from the future. About 500 years later than this time." Kagome answered him and watched his face. He looked at her as if she had tried to convince him she was a demon herself.

"Do you not wish to tell me that badly?" Sesshomaru asked, his tone was even.

"It's the truth." Kagome smiled.

"How is that possible?" He asked her, she did not miss the surprise in his tone.

"I travel through the Bone Eaters well. I think my travels are possible because of the shikon jewel." Kagome explained her situation in the simplest way she could.

"I see. I do not think I believe you" Sesshomaru stated.

"What!? Why would I make something like that up?" Kagome snapped. Sesshomaru grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer.

"Watch your tone" He growled while looking into her eyes. He let go of her and she stepped back. She put her hands on her hips and glared at him, but said nothing.

"Sesshomaru, I come from the future. Can't you tell? My clothes? The devices I have?" Kagome tried to convince him. When she thought about it, she did not really care if he believed her or not but it was not in her nature to back out of an argument.

"Hm," He replied, but Kagome was not sure if he was convinced.

Kagome wrote that their conversation up until that point had been "asymmetrical persuasion dialogue." Her obligations were different from his, she wished to convince him that she was from the future while he was not trying to disprove it. He was merely unconvinced. Afterwards, their conversation had shifted to another subject. Kagaome realized that this was an example of "symmetrical persuasion dialogue." Sesshomaru and she had the same goal in their conversation. Sesshomaru and Kagome where both trying to convince the other that their opinion was the right one.

"Sesshomaru? Why do you always fight on your own? I never see Rin and Jaken with you." Kagome inquired, she was nervous about asking him.

"I do not wish to have any distractions." He answered her.

"Oh? It's not because you want to protect them?" Kagome prodded, unconsciously leaning closer to him.

"No," He replied.

"Oh, come on. You must know that fighting for someone only makes you stronger" Kagome stated and Sesshomaru grunted as if he thought she was being ridiculous.

"Fighting for someone gives you nothing more than something to become distracted by" He told her. He reached forward and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. She stiffened.

"You really think so? But Inuyasha was able to master a number of techniques because one of us was in danger" Kagome regained her composure, trying to ignore what he had just done.

"Maybe. But he has also been injured and inconvenienced by your presence. How many times has Naraku or one of his spawn been able to escape because of you or your companions?" Sesshomaru smirked as he watched her frown. He knew she would have to think for a while before she could come up with a reply.

"Well, Sesshomaru, who do you go home to at night? Jaken? Your right hand?" She smirked and Sesshomaru glared at her. He stepped closer to her and cupped the side of her face in his large hand. He ran his thumb along her bottom lip and enjoyed the sound of her breath faltering.

"So Inuyasha goes home to you at night? I do not see how that is any prize. Was that suppose to sway me?" He mocked and watched her face fall and grow angry.

"You jerk!" Kagome almost bit his thumb but he withdrew it in time.

"There is no place for loved ones on the battle field." Sesshomaru stated. This was when their arguing stopped. Kagome knew that he was right and stopped trying to convince him. She knew that he did not want those close to him put in harms way and he would not admit it. Kagome looked up at him for a long while. They were silent for a while. Kagome took his hand and ran her hand up his arm. His skin was so soft. She did not know what had possessed her to do it but she knew there was something forming between the two of them. She felt Sesshomaru stiffen and she stopped. She removed her hand and was unable to meet his gaze.

Her eyes widened as he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her up against him. Kagome was about to speak but was silenced with a kiss. He pressed his lips to hers with a loving tenderness that shocked her. She moved her fingers into his hair and massaged his scalp. She heard him growl against her lips and she smiled slightly. Sesshomaru continued to kiss her gently but passionately until she needed air. They broke apart and Kagome looked up into his eyes. She was not surprised to discover that she could not read his expression. He released his grip on her slowly, allowing his hand to drift across the small of her back.

"You've been keeping a close eye on me lately," Kagome told him as she folded her arms and looked up at him. They both knew she was referring to the battle between Inuyasha and himself where he had looked to her more than once. There had been other encounters as well but that was the most recent.

"You may think what you wish," Sesshomaru said and Kagome laughed at the statement. After that kiss she thought he was being ridiculous for trying to hide any interest in her. Sesshomaru frowned down at her.

"You're not fooling me but if you want to live in denial I'll let you. For now." Kagome smiled at him and she could see his expression soften slightly. She patted his shoulder twice and walked by him. He did not follow her and she was not surprised. She continued to smile to herself all the way back to the others.


	5. The Inquiry

4.) The inquiry. Premises can only be propositions that are known to be true, that have been established as reliable knowledge to the satisfaction of all parties to the inquiry (6).

Kagome found that interactions between Inuyasha and Shippo seemed to be a good source for her examples, as the two argued more than any other pair in their group. Kagome entered Kaede's hut to find Shippo in tears and Inuyasha frowning down at the little fox demon.

"What's going on?" Kagome asked Sango and Miroku, who were sitting to her right and enjoying a bowl of soup. They both shrugged to indicate that they did not know. All three of them walked over to where Inuyasha was scowling down at Shippo, who was still in tears.

"What happened?" Kagome snapped at Inuyasha, assuming it was his fault.

"He was trying to steal my sword!" Inuyasha growled, he stood with it in his hand, holding on to it very tightly. Inuyasha went on to explain that, once again, Shippo had met a lovely young girl who had been tricked by Naraku. She was told that if she took the half-demon Inuyasha's sword she would be granted eternal life. The girl was so scared of death that she agreed. She approached their group and saw Shippo and her opportunity.

"Oh yeah! I remember seeing a small fox girl peeking into our camp the other day but I didn't think anything of it." Sango said. Inuyasha went on to explain that she had cried and told Shippo that Inuyasha's sword had been cursed by her father and she felt very sorry about it. She told him that if he could get her the sword she would remove the curse and bring it back to them. Inuyasha claimed that Shippo had used his fox magic to divert his attention long enough for Shippo to grab the sword and take off running. He didn't get far before Inuyasha caught up to him. That was when the whole argument started. The little fox girl was no where to be found and Kagome knew she would have to keep an eye out for the little girl. They would have to help her, especially since Naraku was involved in her life now.

"That's not true!" Shippo shouted after Inuyasha finished his account of the events. Kagome wondered if this could add to her example, but she would have to wait to find out. Inuyasha growled down at him and Shippo was scared to oppose him. Kagome thought it might be a_rgumentum ad verecundiam_ where there is a misuse of expert opinion or authority-based sources to try to suppress someone's opinion in argument by suggesting that they dare not oppose the word of an authority on an issue. Inuyasha was the voice of authority in their group. Though he could be childish, he was truthful. He was suppressing Shippo at this moment but Kagome had yet to determine if he had lied.

"Alright. He didn't use his fox magic. Well at least not any of his tricks. He just said he saw a jewel shard in a bush and thought I should look for it." Inuyasha admited and Kagome mentally checked that off in her example.

"But this pool girl was just trying to help us! Inuyasha is just a meanie!" Shippo sniffed, apparently ignoring the part where Naraku was involved. Kagome saw that this was a_rgumentum ad misericordiam,_ an appeal to pity. She made sure to describe Shippo's large, innocent eyes that made you feel like you were taking away all that was dear to him when you were only trying to walk away to bathe. Shippo had also provided her with an example of _argumentum as polulum_ which is an appeal to the emotions, enthusiasms, or popular feelings of a group audience. They all though Inuyasha was a meanie. Kagome nodded once and was pleased with her example.

"Shippo, we know you tried to steal it to help us but you must be more careful when strangers try to convince you of something. Naraku is very cunning and he'll go after our weakest link." Kagome scolded and Inuyasha smirked.

"She's right. I cannot sense a curse on Inuyasha's sword. You should have checked with us frist and we could have told you if she was lying," Miroku told Shippo gently. The young boy nodded.

"Inuyasha, you have to be more forgiving," Kagome said sternly but smiled at him afterwards.

"You never let me off the hook, do ya?" Inuaysha put her in a head lock and gave her a nuggy. Naturally, the word "sit" came once Inuyasha had released her.


	6. Negotiation Dialogue

5.) Negotiation dialogue. The primary goal is self-interest and the method is to bargain (7).

This example was very easy for Kagome to illustrate as this kind of dialogue occurred between herself and Inuyasha every time she wanted to go home.

"Inuyasha I need to go home," Kagome told him one morning.

"What? Again? No way! you've taken enough time off," He shook his head and she frowned.

"I have a test two days from now and I have to study. Plus I'm out of clean clothing and I need to type up this essay I've been working on," Kagome argued.

"You just went back 5 days ago," Inuyasha folded his arms over his chest.

"If you let me go home I'll bring you twice as much ramen as I usually do" Kagome smirked as Inuyasha's face lit up, but he soon remembered the importance of their task.

"No, Naraku is already a day ahead of us," Inuyasha said.

"Inuyasha, if you make me stay I'll walk very slowly and complain all the time," Kagome warned.

"I'll just carry you," He snorted.

"I'll pinch your ears the whole time," Kagome smirked.

"Fine! If you're going to be difficult then you can go," Inuyasha huffed.

Kagome smirked in victory. After she packed up her all her belongings, she jumped into Kirara's back and they took off towards the well. Kagome waved at her friends and they waved back, except Inuyasha.

Kirara arrived at the well and Kirara set her down. She stumbled forward as the weight of her bag threw her off balance. Kagome patted the large cat's head and Kirara took off into the air to return to the others. Kagome put a foot on the well and was about to jump in when a voice stopped her.

"Miko," His voice made her freeze. She turned around to find Sesshomaru standing right behind her. She gasped in surprise and leaned back to increase the distance between them. Her action caused her to loose her balance as her over-sized backpack pulled her backwards, towards the well. Sesshomaru grabbed her hand and pulled her upright again. Kagome let out a breath.

"Thanks," She sighed.

"Are you returning to the future?" He asked her.

"Yes, for a few days." Kagome was worried where this was going to lead.

"May I come?" Sesshomaru looked into her eyes, she could tell he was serious. She swallowed the lump in her throat.

"I'm not sure if that is the best idea..." She was hoping he would not ask again.

"Why not?" Sesshomaru frowned slightly. Kagome was surprised that he was being so passive. She would not have put it past him to just push her into the well and jump in after her. She thought, only for a brief moment, that it may have something to do with their "relationship." She remembered that he had asked her a question.

"Because you're not from my time. Our world is very different. And our customs too, someone might say something to you that would be considered offensive in this time and you'll kill them! That can't happen!" Kagome crossed her arms in front of her chest, making a large X. She was worried about Sesshomaru's interactions with the people from her time and the spending so many days with him when they had hardly spend more than 10 minutes alone.

"What if I promise to behave myself?" Sesshomaru quirked a brow. Kagome laughed a little, he was pleading with her.

"Sesshomaru... I just don't know if this a a good idea..." She said, while looking behind her into the well.

"Kagome, please," Sesshomaru's face looked as if he had eaten something sour. Kagome's mouth dropped open and she whipped her face to look at him. She was shocked that he was not simply threatening her, he had asked... politely. She was lost for words. Sesshomaru cleared his throat and looked away from her. Kagome refocused her mind.

"Sorry. Okay, you can come. But you must do as I say," Kagome pointed her figure at him. He nodded and wrapped his arm around her waist. They jumped into the well together and they were surrounded by purple light. When their feet came to rest on the ground, Kagome told Sesshomaru to jump out of the well. After they were clear of its walls, he released her. They were in her time and Kagome saw that Sesshomaru was having trouble with all the phenomenons that were overloading his sense. She let him adjust to the new sounds and smells.

Once he seemed stable, she led him out of the shed that held the well and towards her house. She explained to him that her family took care of this shrine and that she lived here with her mom, grandfather, little brother... and cat. Sesshomaru gave a slow nod. Kagome opened the door to her house and called out to her mother.

"I'm home!" Kagome yelled. Sesshomaru flinched and she muttered a quick apology.

"Oh, hello Kagome dear" Her mother said as she came out of the kitchen, when she spotted Sesshomaru she added, "Who's your friend?" Kagome gave her an unsteady grin.

"Mom, this is Sesshomaru. He's Inuyasha's half brother." Kagome introduced them. Sesshomaru bowed slightly and Mrs. Higarashi smiled warmly at him. Kagome told her mother that she and Sesshomaru were very tired and she excused them and went up to her room.

"This is my room," Kagome opened her door and led him inside, "you can sleep in here if you like, or outside." Sesshomaru looked around her room slowly. He was taking in every item she possessed and noticing how their colour and form reflected her gentle nature.

"I'll sleep outside," Sesshomaru said and headed for her window.

"Okay but you can't leave the Shrine until tomorrow." Kagome pointed a finger at him. She saw him nod before he jumped down and headed for one of the trees on the shrine grounds. Kagome changed into her pyjamas and flopped down onto her bed. She crawled under the covers. Her mind only had a few seconds to wonder to Sesshomaru sleeping outside and then she was out.


	7. Infoseeking and Education Dialogue

6.) Information-seeking type of dialogue in which one party has the goal of finding information that the other party is believed to possess (8).

7.) Education dialogue, in which one party (the teacher) has the goal of imparting knowledge to the other party (the student) (9).

These two examples were found throughout Kagome and Sesshomaru's day the next morning. While Kagome was typing up her essay, she decided to split up their conversations into the appropriate categories. Some of their dialogue had been information-seeking, mostly when Sesshomaru was asking her questions about her world. The rest was education dialogue, where Kagome was teaching Sesshomaru about her world.

Sesshomaru had jumped into her room the next morning much earlier than Kagome would have liked. He shook her awake and Kagome rubbed her tired eyes. She glared at him but sat up slowly to get out of bed. Her raven hair was a mess and her eyes looked sleepy.

"Lets go," Sesshomaru said firmly and Kagome glared at him.

"Give me a minute!" Kagome hissed in a sleepy voice. She rubbed her eyes and slung her legs over the edge of the bed. She got up and stumbled a little. She reached her arm out to steady herself and found that her firm, very sculpted crutch was Sesshomaru's chest. Kagome blushed and muttered an apology. She took her clothing into the bathroom and showered. She was quick and soon she was standing with wet curly hair, ready to go. Kagome told him to leave his armour behind, since he did not need it here and it would only attract attention. Once Kagome had stripped Sesshomaru of enough accessories to make him look acceptable, they headed down stairs.

Sesshomaru let her grab some toast before they left through the front door. As they walked down the shrine stairs, Sesshomaru asked her questions.

"How many years in the future did you say this was?" His voice came from behind her.

"About 500," Kagome answered, looking over her shoulder slightly.

"Are there demons here? I do not sense any strong auras." Sesshomaru continued

"Not any that I know of. Inuyasha and I have managed to find a couple but I am not sure if they came through the well some how or if they had been living here for a long time." Kagome said in one long breath. She saw him nod out of the corner of her eye.

"Did humans manage to get rid of us?" Sesshomaru asked.

"I'm not sure," Kagome told him but when she looked into his eyes she could see that he was suspicious of her answer. She glared back at him confidently. Sesshomaru could see that she did not know and dropped the matter. They stopped at the bottom of the stairs and Kagome pointed out a few landmarks that they could see from where they stood and mentioned a couple street names to him as well, in case they were separated.

"What is that?" Sesshomaru pointed at the parked car in front of them. There were also several cars driving by on the road. Kagome thought the cars were going fairly fast and maybe Sesshomaru would be impressed by their speed but that did not seem to be the case. Kagome discovered that he was more interested in how they were moving on their own. Kagome explained the concept of a car and tried to tell him how it worked. She could see by the look on his face that he did not follow her entirely but she knew he would not tell her that. He simply said he understood and she left it at that. Kagome led him down the street and told him about other things in her world.

"This is a cell phone. They work by communicating with towers like the one over there and satellites... these large metal things that float above the earth. It lets us talk to one another when we're far away. I can call anyone in the world" Kagome explained and pointed in the appropriate directions when she mentioned the tower and satellites. Sesshomaru nodded and she continued.

"This is my school," She said quietly as if it would hear her. Sesshomaru looked at the large campus in front of him. There were several large, tall buildings.

"What do you do here?" he asked.

"I take classes so I can get a good job in the future. I have an essay due in two days, which is why I'm back here." Kagome told him. She grabbed his hand and led him farther down the street. She did not see the slightly widening of Sesshomaru's eyes when she took his fingers collectively in her hand.

"This is my favourite park. As you can see, there is not a lot of nature left in my city and it is nice to come here and enjoy it." Kagome told him.

"Though you do get to visit the feudal era often enough" Sesshomaru commented. Kagome nodded.

"Yeah, I'm lucky. I get to see Japan before we did this to it." Kagome said, gesturing with her free hand to the skyscrapers. She heard Sesshomaru give an agreeing grunt and she smiled at him.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" She asked him, "It takes about half an hour to get all the way around the lake." When she saw him nod slowly, she began to lead him down the start of the path.


	8. Actionseeking Dialogue

8.) Action-seeking type of dialogue (...) in which the goal of one party is to bring about a specific course of action by the other party (8-9).

Kagome blushed in front of her computer screen. She was nearing the end of her examples and this one was particularly embarrassing. It was too good to overlook so Kagome typed it out with a pained expression on her face. Sesshomaru looked over at her and asked her if something was wrong. She turned an even, deep shade of red and shook her head. She typed like lightening after that, to get the example over with.

They had begun walked around the lake. Kagome still held Sesshomaru's hand. Her mind was hyper aware of this yet, at the same time, she did not seem to have a clue she was doing it. She was going to speak but when she looked at Sesshomaru's face she decided not to. He look very very deep in thought and she did not think that he want her idle chit chat at the moment. She walked beside him in silence.

Sesshomaru was deep in thought. He was not thinking about the future really, it was incredible but all it did was answer questions about Kagome; which is what he was really interested in. He knew she was different from the others in his time and now he knew why. He was glad he had been able to see this part of her world, which had clearly shaped who she was today. Sesshomaru thought about Kagome too much for his own liking but he found it hard to stop.

Once, when he was thinking about the kiss they had shared, Rin had stopped picking flowers to look at him. When she saw the look on his face, she ran over to him and asked: "Lord Sesshomaru, are you in love?" He had glared at her slightly but realized that she was only a child and her question had been innocent. But Rin's question made him think about this. He did not think he was "in love," as Rin put it, but he was having new and unnerving feelings for Kagome.

While he was walking next to her, he decided that he would try to get her to admit that she was attracted to him. If she was, which he was slightly sure of, then maybe he would consider advancing their relationship. When they were nearing the half way point of the path around the lake, Sesshomaru stopped walking and Kagome stopped as well, once she felt the tug on her arm.

Kagome turned to face Sesshomaru with questioning eyes. He looked down at her intensely and she shrunk into herself a little.

"Kagome, how do you feel about Inuyasha?" He asked her in a blunt tone. Kagome recoiled a little at the question.

"I love his very much... as a friend," She started. Sesshomaru could see she was thinking about what to say next and so he remained silent. Then she said, "he has hurt me a few too many times for me to feel too confident in any relationship we might start."

"So you want a relationship with him?" Sesshomaru growled a little but it was enough for Kagome to catch his sinister tone. She frowned at him.

This was good for her essay. Sesshomaru had committed the "fallacy of many questions." This occurs when a question is posed in an overly aggressive manner, presupposing commitment to prior answers to questions not yet asked (19) because of his tone and his assumption that her previous answers also applied to questions he had not yet asked. Sesshomaru also committed the fallacy of _ignoratio elechi,_ which occurs when an argument is directed towards proving the wrong, or an irrelevant conclusion (19). Their conversation had turned from him asking her questions that led to very sloppy answers from her. His questions were about Inuyasha's relationship with her and her past feelings. She thought of another one he had committed as well! A_rgumentum ad baculum_ which was committed by an appeal to force or the threat of force to gain acceptance of a conclusion without giving proper or adequate argument for it. Sesshomaru had changed his stance to seem more dominant and threatening while he continued to question her. Kagome smiled to herself as she typed. Sesshomaru had many faults when it came to dialogue

"I do not," Kagome shot back quickly but her tone convinced neither of them. Kagome sighed in frustration.

"I think that you do," Sesshomaru tested her, "you seem hesitant to show your interest in anyone else. Are you afraid that if you do, Inuyasha will be lost to you forever?" Kagome opened her mouth to speak at his first comment but as he continued she left her mouth open but had no words to say. She was not liking this. She had refused to think about these things on her own and she did not like being forced into it now.

"That's not true," Kagome final managed to say, "I haven't shown interest in anyone else because..." She tried to find a reason but she could not. There was someone she was interested in... why was she hiding it. Then she added, "because I'm scared of rejection." Kagome knew there was some truth to that but Sesshomaru could see it was deeper than that.

"I think not. You are not so shy as to hide you emotion from someone you really are attracted to," Sesshomaru used this fact as more evidence for the supposed relationship between Inuyasha and herself. After his statement, he could see Kagome's resolve weakening and he shifted his stance to tower over her a little more. He knew that if she truly was interested in him then she would not back down. He knew she was stronger than that. Kagome felt his body heat closer to her and became scared for a slight second. Then she became angry. He was trying to force her accept his false conclusion! Kagome's mind screamed.

"Sesshomaru!" Kagome pointed an angry finger into his chest, "I do not love Inuyasha so stop behaving like an idiot! I like you! Okay!? But I would never want you to know that because humans disgust you and even though you kissed me I though it would be better to leave you alone since you looked fairly repulsed by what you had done. Got it!?" Kagome shouted at him in one long breath. Sesshomaru smirked, he had gotten just what he wanted. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her into towards him. He ducked his head down to kiss lips which, to his delight, were parted perfectly as she was about to say something. Kagome closed her eyes and felt her anger melt away. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into him. Sesshomaru's arm slid around her waist and he pulled her tighter up against him. Kagome parted her lips and let Sesshomaru slip his tongue inside. She sighed deeply and he smirked against her lips. She broke the kiss and hugged him tightly. She felt so comfortable in his arms.

Kagome thought back on the memory fondly. That was only yesterday but it felt so long ago. She was comfortable in Sesshomaru's presence now that some unresolved questions had been answered. She did not like the "in between" stage they had been in after their first kiss. Kagome finished the last line of her essay and stretched out dramatically. She arched her back over her chair and she did not miss the way Sesshomaru's eyes locked on her form.

"I'm done," She told him with a large smile on her face, "I have to hand this in tomorrow so I'll take you back now and edit it after." Sesshomaru nodded and rose. Kagome opened her closet so he could grab his armour and put it on. Then they walked to the well together. Kagome jumped through with him and he held Kagome as he jumped out of the well. She watched as he took in the familiar surroundings of the feudal era. She could see a hint of love in his eyes as his gaze drifted over the trees and mountains. Kagome smiled to herself. She squeezed his hands to get his attention.

"I'm going back now. See you soon," She said to him and looked into his eyes. Sesshomaru cupped her chin in his large palm. He rubbed her cheek with his thumb and gave her a small, quick but tender kiss. Then he was gone so fast that Kagome's eyes did not have a change to catch the direction he went in. She stepped back onto the well and jumped in. She re-emerged in her time and climbed out of the well. She went back to her room and began editing her essay. She made sure her examples were equal length and that the formatting was good. She also changed her name to another. She laughed to herself as she read over her friends' antics. Then she printed it out and stapled it.

"There!" She said to herself. She was happy to finish the assignment.


	9. A Plus

A week later Kagome jumped out of the well in the feudal era. She had gone back briefly to pick up her essay and write a midterm. Sesshomaru was waiting for her. After she had written her essay, she had spent the week with her friends and him in the feudal era. Everyone was shocked, to say the least, when Kagome told them that Sesshomaru and her were "dating." She had to explain the concept to them. Sango and Miroku were happy for her but a little apprehensive. Inuyasha was... like a volcano that erupted and spewed out cuss words, bits of forest it had destroyed during a tantrum, and occasionally Shippo, who got the blunt end of his anger. Kagome was happy to find that, after a few days, Inuyasha had calmed down again and was accepting of their relationship. Kagome knew that if Inuyasha and Sesshomaru had a better relationship Inuyasha would have accepted the news better, so Kagome blamed Sesshomaru for picking on his younger brother. Sesshomaru shrugged and told her it was not his problem his half brother was not sensible.

Kagome swung her leg over the well and ran to take Sesshomaru's outstretched hand. She smiled at him and she could see he had missed her.

"The test was a disaster! But the essay went very well. I got an A+!" Kagome exclaimed and Sesshomaru's eyes seem to fill with the slightest bit of pride. She had explained their grading system to him so he knew it was the highest grade she could get. Kagome took the paper out of her backpack and showed him the "100%" circled in red marker.

"Kagome," She began to read, using her professors tone, "This was very well done. Your examples were accurate and I enjoyed reading your essay. I was happy to see that you had fun with this assignment. The characters you created to illustrate the material from class were excellent. Inuyasha must only be 10 years old to behave the way he does but I found myself intrigued about him and his relationship with his older brother. I can see that Sesshomaru and Hitomi will be very happy together. Both of them are hilarious and very stubborn. I wish that you would have made Sesshomaru less snobby." Kagome laughed as she read this. She then said "I had to stay true to your character."

"Hm," Sesshomaru sounded displeased.

"Oh lighten up," Kagome waved her hand around in the air to dismiss his mood. She then resumed reading in her professor's voice, "I am happy to see you have such a wonderful imagination. Keep up the good work in my class." Kagome smiled triumphantly and put the essay away. Her eyes widened slightly when Sesshomaru kissed her cheek quickly.

"Let us hurry. The others are waiting and you are walking far too slowly," He scolded her and Kagome picked up her pace. She could see Inuyasha and Sango waving at her in the distance. She waved back and squeezed Sesshomaru's hand again. This was definitely the best assignment she had ever worked on.


End file.
